Crop Maximization Project is special move for improvement of Small Farmers.

Online, February 15, 2010 (Newswire.com) - It is reported, said Mr. Irfan Arshad, Credit & VO Help Officer, that 83 % of Pakistan's farming community is ranked as small farmers and there is considerable gap between the yield per acre of a progressive farmer and a small farmer. The small farmers lack access to credit, technical know-how, farm implements, etc, which result in the low productivity of the small farms. The credit to these farmers is provided by middlemen (Arhties) who give the farmer rate of their choice for his produce. Mr. Irfan Arshad Credit & VO Help Officer in Rahim Yar Khan appreciated the special move made by the Ministry of Food & Agriculture Govt. of Pakistan for the initiation of National Program for Food Security & Productivity Enhancement of small farmers (Crop Maximization Project-II) that proposes to help small farmers get out of the clutches of these middlemen.

The project envisages enhancement of farm productivity and sustainability of agriculture for food security. It will establish collective institutions, i.e., beneficiary owned and managed 1,012 Village Organizations (VOs) in 1,012 villages of 27 districts of all the provinces, AJ&K and FATA including Rahim Yar Yar District also for procurement of critical inputs / services, marketing of outputs and diversification of income generating activities. It will be a technology-led project with main focus on small and resource poor farmers having land holdings below 25 acres.

Tracing the history of project, Irfan Arshad explained that a pilot project was implemented in three districts, popularly known as Sargodha Model. Finding the results to be encouraging, increase in productivity by about 30 %, Crop Maximization Project (CMP) was launched in 109 villages of six districts of Punjab i.e Rahim Yar Khan, Muzaffar Garh, Sahiwal, Gujranwla, Sialkot and Sargodha. Upon evaluation of this project, it was decided to implement the project on 1,012 villages, albeit with certain modifications. Currently project is running in 6 districts of Punjab with a 72 villages in each district. In District Rahim Yar Khan, project area includes the villages of Union Council Bulaqi Wali with central focus to Chak Abbas; Union council Mao Mubarak, Taranda Sawai Khan, Ameen garh, Dari Azeem Khan, Sonak, Kot Samaba, Tibbi Gul Muhammad And Bahishti.

To explain the objectives of Crop Maximization Project, Mr. Irfan Arshad from Rahim Yar Khan explained that project aims to increase agricultural productivity in rural areas of Pakistan with a special focus to enhance food security through provision of sustainable livelihood programs. Empowerment of small farmers and agricultural producers through the establishment of self-managed rural organizations backed by appropriate laws and regulations that enable them to manage their resources efficiently and become profitable market oriented entities is yet another objective of the project. The project ensures to build sustainable financial mechanisms to channel smallholder's own resources as well as external investments into the smallholder agriculture sector. Mr. Irfan Arshad also explained that success of the project lies in the active participation of small farmers to achieve all these objective ensuring food security.